5 Simple Steps to Beat your Cravings

Almost everyone experiences cravings at some time or another. While sometimes our cravings can seem to overtake our rational thoughts and make us want to eat foods that we know are not good for us, they are not always a bad thing to be scared of.

More often than not, cravings can be a way that your body is telling you something.  Maybe you are lacking in a particular nutrient which is why you are craving a particular food. The best thing you can do is to honor your cravings by getting to the root cause of them, and finding out what your body really needs.

1.    You Need an Energy Boost

If you are craving sugar or refined carbohydrates, then the reason for this could be because your body is looking for a quick energy fix. The need for extra energy can come when you are feeling tired, and is the reason we often crave sugary foods in the afternoons towards the end of our busy days.

You might feel like you must have a chocolate bar for example. What thebody is really wanting is a quick fix to help get you through the rest of the day.

The best way to avoid having sugar and carbo cravings is to make sure you are getting enough sleep each day, and that you eat after doing exercise when you body’s energy reserves are lowest.

You should also try and eat meals that provide sustained energy by eating foods that are low in glycemic load. To create a meal of low GL, whole unprocessed foods such as whole grains, vegetables, and beans are great choices. They are high in fiber, which is particularly important because it moderate the speed at which the sugar is absorbed by the body. Also, make sure you include a moderate amount of good fat and lean protein to slow down absorption and increase satiety.

2.    Maintaining Balance

Our bodies are remarkable, and are always trying to maintain a state of equilibrium and balance. However, we sometimes will make food choices that upset this balance and your body then tries to compensate for this by sparking a craving for a food that can balance this out.

For example, when we eat too many Yang foods – such as red meat, salt and egg- our body will want some Yin foods to restore balance. Sugar and alcohol are extreme Yin foods that our body would usually crave when trying to balance out the Yang overload.

Armed with this knowledge, you can reduce your sugar cravings by eating less extreme yang foods and instead, choose foods that are more neutral on the spectrum. Examples are whole grains, fish, sea vegetables, beans, root vegetables, and winter squash.

3.    Nutrient Deficiency

Cravings can be a sign of nutrient deficiency. For example, inadequate mineral levels produce salt cravings, and overall inadequate nutrition produces cravings for non-nutritional forms of energy, like caffeine.

Cravings for different flavor or texture can translate to a lack of various nutrients. If you are craving something crunchy, try eating apples, rice cakes, plain popcorn, or nuts and seeds.

To alleviate sugar cravings, try eating fresh, whole fruit, have a wheat grass shot or try having baked sweet vegetables such as carrots or sweet potatoes.

Salty cravings can be alleviated by eating olives, pickles and pickled vegetables, tabouli, hummus or edamame with sea salt.

Healthy creamy cravings can be satisfied by eating avocadoes, rice pudding, coconut milk or even a pudding made with silken tofu or mashed banana.

4.    Hormones

It is common for women to experience unique cravings at the times they are going through menstruation, pregnancy or menopause. This is caused by fluctuating testosterone and estrogen levels and they can be difficult to control. Preventing hormone disruption and imbalance by getting plenty of sleep, eating a wholesome diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, and doing regular exercise can keep your hormones- and the associated cravings- in check.

5.    Dehydration

Cravings can be caused by dehydration. Our body often misinterprets the sensation of thirst and translates that into hunger. Next time when you feel your cravings coming on, drink a glass of water and wait 15 minutes, and see if you are still hungry.

The key is to really get in tune with your body so that you can figure out exactly why your body is craving what it is, and to then feed your body what it needs to make the cravings go away. The more mindful you can become of the triggers and signs, the better you will be able to control your cravings and stop them from coming on again.

Fairtrade coffee

What is Fairtrade coffee and what are the social, environmental and economic benefits?

Never trust anyone that doesn’t drink coffee……

Coffee is an essential start to many people’s day. In the UK alone, consumers spend over £6.2 billion per year in the 18,000 coffee outlets found across Britain. So it is fair to say that coffee is a booming industry.

Did you know?

125 million people worldwide depend on coffee to earn a living.

25 million smallholder farms produce 80% of the world’s coffee, but many of those farmers fail to make a reliable living.

The coffee supply chain is complex as the beans pass from growers, traders, processors, exporters, roasters, retailers and finally to the consumer. Many of the farmers have little idea where their coffee goes and indeed how lucrative it can be.

What is Fairtrade coffee?

The Fairtrade foundation works with people who farm bananas, chocolate, gold, cotton and of course coffee. Fairtrade is about getting better prices, better working conditions and fair terms for work for people working in the coffee trade. Products with the Fairtrade logo means that the coffee has been produced by small scale farmer organizations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards. This includes the protection of workers rights and the environment.

What are the social benefits?

The Fair-trade foundation gives the farmers a sense of control over their future and helps their voice be heard.

Fairtrade empowers communities and helps them to organise themselves into cooperatives which enables them to negotiate better positions within the supply chain.

Fairtrade helps to develop gender equality.

Workers employed on Fairtrade plantations benefit from investments into education, better housing, better schools and better medical facilities.

Fairtrade supports the workers helping them to realise their rights through trade unions and collective bargaining.

General improvement in rural lives.

What are the economic benefits?

Through a minimum price requirement, Fairtrade is helping farmers become more secure in their income and less vulnerable to poverty.

Fairtrade helps farmers to negotiate higher prices for their product compared to the conventional market.

Additional income through the Fairtrade Foundation is supporting better farming, strong cooperatives, and investment in collective assets, local infrastructure and helping communities to plan for the future.

What are the environmental benefits?

The Fairtrade Foundation provides access to finance which can help in tackling climate change and long term environmental sustainability.

Fairtrade improves access to agricultural services like organic training and premium markets       , as a result the farmers have an incentive to farm better and sell more.

Investment in agricultural equipment or techniques to improve crops and yields.

Healthy Triathlon

Training to run for a sprint triathlon is very different from preparing for other running

 races. Your body will already be tired from the swim and cycle so the run tends to be the most challenging segment of the event. So how exactly should your train for a sprint triathlon? What is the best way to achieve optimum performance? Below is a short guide on how to do just that.

As with any running race the best way to train for a sprint triathlon is to gradually increase distances over a period of time. Your level of fitness at the start of the training will set your initial distance.

Training for a sprint triathlon usually takes between eight to nine weeks. Remember that you are training to swim, cycle and run so adequate training in each discipline is necessary. Train six days a week, two for swim, two for cycling and finally two for running. Take the last day for a well earned rest.

The running training timetable should include maintenance runs once a week. Those with a lower level of fitness should aim to run between 1-2 miles without becoming over exhausted. This should equate to about 15 minutes running time. Over the training period the length of the run and time should be gradually increased.

A second longer run should be added to the training timetable, also once a week. This should start off with a 20 minute run at an easy pace. Each week this should be increased by five minutes until you are easily managing 35 minutes in which your are covering approximately 3 miles. To conserve energy your running time should be cut back to 15 minutes approximately two weeks before your sprint triathlon event.

A successful competitor will also add a bike workout into therefore run training. The change between biking to running effects performance and so it is important to adequately prepare. Add the bike work out on the longer runs in training week 6. Take a ten minute moderate cycle which will help the body get used to the transition.

When your training is complete and the day for your sprint triathlon arrives, bear in mind the following few tips to shave just a few more minutes off your final run time.

Running Shoes- High performance running shoes can weigh as little as 250 grams which will ensure a lighter load, as well as providing effective cushioning and support. Also consider racing without socks as this will shave time off your transition period. Use talc to reduce fiction.

Mental Preparation - Be prepared mentally. Even the most well trained athletes feel the pain when it comes to the run. Split the run into sections. The first kilometre should just be about getting through the transition period. Secondly you should hit your predefined pace and for the last kilometre focus on using any energy reserves to hit the finish line hard.

5 Simple Stretches You Can Do At Your Desk

Do you work long hours in the office, and sometimes feel a bit stiff in certain areas of your body? It can be difficult to sit in one position for countless hours without getting uncomfortable after a while. But what choice do you have, the work has to be done, right? To decrease the negative effects of sitting at your desk for many hours what you can do is some simple stretches. Here are 5 that can get you going:

1. Seated Pigeon Pose

Those who develop tight hips can benefit from the seated pigeon pose, which as the picture above shows requires you to sit at the edge of your seat. Cross one leg over the other so that one ankle is placed on the other leg’s knee. Then lean forward until you feel you are stretching your body.

The great thing about the seated pigeon pose is that it can be done at your desk, and it’s very easy to do. You will never hurt yourself whilst performing this stretch simply because it’s of a mild nature.

2. Seated Hamstring Stretch

You can stretch your hamstring whilst sitting at your desk, and this is especially ideal if your office design is rather cramped. This stretch is very easy to do, and you can stretch both hamstrings at once – quite handy when you don’t have a lot of time for stretches.

Firstly, make sure you turn the chair away from your desk so that you have a bit of leg room. Then both legs must be straight and stretched by placing the heels on the floor. Now place your hands on top of your thighs and lean forward. The more you lean, the more you will stretch – so be careful not to lean too far forward as this could put too much strain on your hamstrings.

3. Shoulder Shrugs

One of those office tips that everyone should follow is to do shoulder shrugs throughout the day. It’s an exercise that takes a few moments to do, and can relieve a lot of tension in the shoulder area. Those that work in an office all day long will find that as they perform writing task on the computer their shoulder will stiffen up as tension builds up.

To perform the shoulder shrug you need to lift the shoulders upwards in the direction of your ears. Then squeeze them tightly, but not too tight because you don’t want to strain them. After a few moments move the shoulders back down to resting position and repeat up to 8 or 10 times.

4. Upper Back Stretch

When you have a bad back being productive in an office lease can be almost impossible, because all you really want to do is lie down in order to remove the pain. To keep your back healthy you could do upper back stretches throughout the day. To do this stretch put your arms out in front of you, and arch your back whilst tightening your abs as shown in the picture above.

5. Spinal Twist

The spinal twist can relive tension build up that has occurred in your lower back. To perform this stretching exercise begin by being in a normal seated position with feet flat on the ground. Then twist your torso to either side, and also move both hands in that direction in order to deepen the stretch.